“In the first half we suffered with the way they passed the ball around, I won’t deny that,” said the Coach.

“But we knew they were a very technical side. After the break it was an Inter monologue and we created so many scoring opportunities.”

Yet Handanovic needed a crucial save just moments before Palacio broke the deadlock.

“Handanovic’s save was worth three points, every bit as much as Palacio’s goal. I liked the way we went looking for the goal, as we knew that a win tonight would put us in a strong position to qualify. Jonathan impressed me after a few performances in which he didn’t show his true worth.”

Inter are joint top of Group H with Rubin Kazan, as both are on seven points, while Neftci and Partizan have only one point apiece.

“Now the game in Belgrade will be crucial, as if they win that then it all opens up again,” warned Stramaccioni.

“Inter care about this competition and it is our duty to be protagonists in Europe and Italy. We started in the preliminary rounds and want to go all the way.”

Do Not Exclude From Feeds

See the latest Serie A predictions and betting tips with Eurotips.co.uk[13]